After Si Muye went hunting, Shen Yue took Dabao and Er Bao to the open space in front of the cave to do their morning exercises.
"Dabao, Er Bao, watch closely. Female mother will demonstrate for you: the Ninth Set of Broadcast Calisthenics!"
"You have to learn it well, okay? It can stretch your muscles and strengthen your body!"
Dabao and Er Bao stood obediently behind her, clapping their little hands and paws excitedly and curiously.
"Yay, female mother is doing exercises! Dabao will learn them well!"
"Er Bao will too!"
Shen Yue raised her voice. "Okay, get ready. Preparatory section."
She called out the instructions:
"Head up, chest out, gaze forward. Hands down by your sides, make a fist, raise your hands, march in place, and... go!"
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Two, two, three, four, five, six, seven... eight!"
Her steps were elegant and precise, a beautiful sight to behold.
The little ones behind her also marched in place, doing their best to imitate her, their gazes fixed forward as they clenched their little fists.
They also chanted the counts along with her.
Their high-pitched, childish voices held a unique charm in the morning mountain air.
Shen Yue: "Come on, first section, stretching... Step out with your left foot, open your arms, turn your head to the left, bring your right foot to your left, clench your fists, bend your knees..."
Watching Shen Yue teach this so-called "broadcast calisthenics" from above, Mu Silin couldn’t help but feel the corner of his mouth twitch.
’These soft, strange moves can strengthen your body?’
’And they’re so slow...’
’But how can this woman’s body be so flexible?’
’How are her movements so beautiful?’
He couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized.
After sending a message to the Royal City, the subordinate next to him returned to his side. Peering down below, he looked as if he had just discovered a new skill.
"General, this ’broadcast calisthenics’ thing actually looks pretty legitimate. How come we’ve never heard of it?"
’Could it be that we’ve been so isolated in Muxue City that we’ve fallen behind the times?’
’Are we unaware of the new exercise methods popular outside?’
As he spoke, he unconsciously started moving his arms and legs, trying to learn the routine.
"Can this really strengthen your body?"
He swung his fists, picking it up surprisingly quickly.
Mu Silin glanced at him, his eyelid twitching involuntarily...
Down below, Shen Yue only taught two sections, then had the two little cubs practice them repeatedly, worried they wouldn’t be able to remember.
Dabao’s performance was quite decent, but Er Bao, with his small, fluffy body... blinking his big eyes, trying hard to lift his little paws, his four legs kicking about—his earnest expression made Shen Yue want to laugh...
Dabao could at least turn into his human form, allowing him to stand upright and raise his hands.
But Er Bao... was a bona fide quadruped.
’He’s too cute.’
He was just like a wiggling little furball.
Shen Yue couldn’t resist squatting down and grabbing his two front limbs, forcing the little guy to stand upright.
He looked just like a kitten whose owner had lifted its front paws, forcing it to stand on its hind legs.
"Come on, female mother will guide you. Extend left paw, extend right paw... stick out your tongue..."
In her hands, Er Bao was like a little plush pet, forced to move according to her commands. It was absolutely hilarious.
Feeling this wasn’t enough, Shen Yue sped up her movements. Er Bao’s fluffy little belly started wiggling, and his hind legs hopped up and down as if he were disco dancing.
"Hahaha, Er Bao, you’re so funny!"
"Such a cute little leopard cub, so fun to play with..."
Watching Er Bao get manhandled by Shen Yue until he barely resembled a leopard anymore...
From the shadows, Mu Silin: "..."
’Oh, great. Just great.’
’Shen Yue, so this is how you treat my son!’
’Playing favorites, are you?’
’Raising the older son like a human and playing with the younger son like a dog!!’
Mu Silin was indignant, but his own cub was in Shen Yue’s hands with a look of pure enjoyment on his face. Those eyes, which should have been majestic and fierce leopard eyes, were squinted shut like a contented kitten’s.
’It’s infuriating!!’
Just then, a sound came from the cave below.
Shen Yue’s hands immediately stilled, and she perked up her ears to listen.
She immediately scooped up Dabao and Er Bao and rushed into the cave.
Because she had heard the sound of an eggshell cracking.
After entering, she saw it was just as she’d expected.
All four eggshells had cracks. One of them had already broken open, and a creature with faint horns on its head was poking out. The forked, blood-red horns were translucent and sharp, somewhat resembling an antelope’s...
Shen Yue’s eyes widened. She suddenly had a bad feeling.
The next second...
An unknown species with a long, slender, snake-like body, resembling a young dragon, crawled out. Its body was covered in fine black scales that shimmered faintly, and the tip of its tail had a hard, fleshy barb...
Its head was like a tiger’s, with sharp teeth in its snout. Its deep-set, dark-red beast eyes were vivid and alert, and when it looked at Shen Yue, they carried a chilling, murderous aura...
Shen Yue shuddered. ’This...’
’No way...’
’If I’m not mistaken... this is a Flood Dragon?’
Dabao and Er Bao, in her arms, had an instant stress reaction.
They bared their teeth and hissed at the Little Flood Dragon on the ground.
The Little Flood Dragon, which had been about to crawl toward Shen Yue, paused. Its dark-red beast eyes darted around, looking at Shen Yue and then at Dabao and Er Bao in her arms, as if it were pondering something.
Then...
PLOP!
The Little Flood Dragon instantly transformed into an exquisite-looking baby with blood-red Flood Dragon Horns and a head of long, ink-black hair.
Shen Yue was stunned. ’This is insane!’
’It can transform right after hatching?’
’This kid is way too good at reading the situation, way too smart. Did he realize that Dabao, Er Bao, and I were all afraid of his true form?’
The Flood Dragon baby’s fair, tender face was expressionless. His beautiful dark-red eyes blinked once, and he coolly uttered two words:
"Hold me."
Shen Yue: "..."
Seeing her standing there, stunned and motionless, the Little Flood Dragon glanced at the equally shocked Dabao and Er Bao in her arms.
That one glance...
Shen Yue’s eyelid twitched...
’How should I describe it...’
’Did I really just see disdain, contempt, and the condescending air of someone who looks down on all creation in the eyes of a tiny baby...?’
’Someone please tell me I’m not imagining things.’
"Hold me."
The Little Flood Dragon opened his chubby, lotus-root-like arms and spoke again in his high-pitched, childish voice.
Shen Yue had an instinctive fear of cold-blooded animals, especially crawling snakes. The occasional sight of one was enough to make her skin crawl with goosebumps.
The moment she saw the Little Flood Dragon crawl out, her scalp had gone numb with fear. But now, seeing this baby in human form before her, she was able to calm down a little...
She wailed internally, ’Oh, heavens, why is there another new species?’
’And it’s from the rarest and noblest clan in this Beast World, the Flood Dragon Clan...’
No matter how hard it was to accept, Shen Yue still managed to find her voice:
"San... Sanbao?"
The Little Flood Dragon kept his little arms outstretched, as if that was the only word he knew to say:
"Hold."
His little expression looked like he was giving a command.
Shen Yue swallowed, feeling she couldn’t win against him. If she didn’t hold him soon, he would probably maintain that pose forever.
She tried to psych herself up. ’It’s just a Flood Dragon. My own child... my own child...’
She slowly squatted down, preparing to reach out her hands.
But then, Er Bao burst out crying with a WAH!
"No! Er Bao doesn’t want female mother to hold that monster! Er Bao is scared..."
The Little Flood Dragon’s pupils instantly turned into vertical slits, his gaze coldly fixing on Er Bao.
At that one look, Er Bao was so frightened that he started crying even louder.
Shen Yue was startled.
’Did I just see killing intent in the Little Flood Dragon’s eyes?’
’He really is a cold-blooded species, born without any regard for family, isn’t he?’